Ezekiel 24:15-27

Common English Bible

Ezekiel’s wife dies

¹⁵ The Lord’s word came to me: ¹⁶ Human one, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you in a single stroke. Don’t mourn or weep. Don’t even let your tears well up. ¹⁷ Sigh inwardly; be deathly still. Don’t perform mourning rites, but bind on your turban and put your shoes on your feet. And don’t cover your upper lip or eat in human company.

¹⁸ I spoke with the people in the morning, and by evening my wife was dead. The next morning I did as I was commanded. ¹⁹ The people asked, “Won’t you tell us what your actions mean for us?”

²⁰ So I said to them, The Lord’s word came to me: ²¹ Say to the house of Israel, the Lord God proclaims: I’m about to make my sanctuary impure, the pride of your strength, the delight of your eyes. Your heart’s desire, the sons and daughters you left behind, will fall by the sword. ²² You will do as I have done. You will neither cover your upper lip nor eat in human company. ²³ Your turbans will be on your heads, your sandals on your feet. You won’t mourn or weep. You will waste away in your guilt, all of you groaning to each other. ²⁴ Ezekiel is your sign. You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.

²⁵ And you, human one: On the day that I take from them their proud stronghold—their crowning joy, the delight of their eyes—and their sons and daughters, whose fate weighs on them, ²⁶ on that day, a refugee will come to you so that you yourself will hear the news. ²⁷ On that day your mouth will be opened to the refugee, and you will speak and no longer be silent. You will be their sign, and they will know that I am the Lord.